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AMERICAN 


JEWISH  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


REPORT   OF   ORGANIZATION, 


ABSTRACT  FROM  THE  MINUTES. 


1892. 


UNIVERSITY 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  SOCIETY. 
1892. 


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AMEEICAN 


. 


JEWISH  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


O  •         j  t 

REPORT   OF   ORGANIZATION. 


ABSTRACT  FROM  THE  MINUTES. 


1892. 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  SOCIETY. 
1892. 


Elfc.t 


LIST  OF  OFFICEKS, 


President  : 
HON.  OSCAR  S.  STRAUS. 

Vice-PTesidents : 
DR.  CHARLES  GROSS, 
PROF.  JOHN  B.  McMASTER, 
HON.  SIMON  W.  ROSENDALE. 

Corresponding  Secretary : 
DR.  CYRUS  ADLER. 

Recording  Secretary : 
HERBERT  FRIEDENWALD. 

Treasurer : 
DR.  CYRUS  ADLER. 

Additional  Members  of  the  Executive  Council , 
MAX  COHEN, 
MENDES  COHEN, 
L.  N.  DEMBITZ, 
REV.  DR.  B.  FELSENTHAL, 
REV.  DR.  M.  H.  HARRIS, 
PROF.  M.  JASTROW,  JR. 
JULIUS  ROSENTHAL, 
HENRIETTA  SZOLD. 


All  communications  should  be  addressed  to  the  Corresponding  Sec 
retary,  DR.  CYRUS  ABLER,  U.  S.  National  Museum,  Washington  City, 
U.  S.  A. 


PRESS  OF  THE  FRIEDENWALD  CO. 
BALTIMORE. 


OBJECTS. 

The  object  of  this  Society  is  to  collect  and  publish  material 
bearing  upon  the  history  of  our  country.  It  is  known  that 
Jews  in  Spain  and  Portugal  participated  in  some  degree  in 
the  voyages  which  led  to  the  discovery  of  America,  and  that 
there  were  Jews  from  Holland,  Great  Britain,  Jamaica  and 
other  countries  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  several  of  the 
colonies.  There  were  also  a  number  of  Jews  in  the  Conti 
nental  army,  and  others  contributed  liberally  to  defray  the 
expenses  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Since  the  foundation  of 
our  government  a  number  of  Jews  have  held  important  public 
positions.  The  genealogy  of  these  men  and  the  record  of 
their  achievements  will,  when  gathered  together,  be  of  value 
and  interest  to  the  historian  and  perchance  contribute  mater 
ially  to  the  history  of  our  country. 

The  objects  for  which  this  Society  was  organized  are  not 
sectarian  but  American.  The  co-operation  of  students  of 
history  and  of  all  persons  who  have  an  interest  in  the  work 
of  this  Society  is  cordially  invited. 


785103 


•  ;  ;    ;REPORT  OF  ORGANIZATION. 

«t    /t   '   '(ABSTRACT  FEOM  THE  MINUTES.) 

Pursuant  to  a  call  issued  by  Dr.  CYRUS  ABLER,  about 
forty  persons  assembled  at  the  building  of  the  Jewish  Theo 
logical  Seminary,  No.  736  Lexington  Avenue,  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  on  Monday  the  seventh  day  of  June,  1892,  for 
the  organization  of  the  AMERICAN  JEWISH  HISTORICAL 
SOCIETY. 

Dr.  ABLER  called  the  meeting  to  order  at  4.30  P.  M. 
Professor  M.  JASTROW,  Jr.,  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
nominated  for  chairman  the  Honorable  OSCAR  S.  STRAUS, 
who  was  elected  by  acclamation,  and  thereupon  took  the  chair. 
On  assuming  the  chair  Mr.  STRAUS  addressed  the  meeting 
as  follows  :  —  "Gentlemen  :  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you 
for  this  honor,  because  I  do  regard  it  as  an  honor  to  be  con 
nected  with  a  cause  of  this  kind,  and  to  contribute  in  what 
ever  degree  I  may  be  able  toward  its  advancement.  We  are 
entering  upon  a  new  field.  How  rich  this  field  is,  probably 
none  of  us  has  an  adequate  conception.  The  material  that 
we  are  to  seek  is  scattered,  is  disjointed,  and  covers  a  long 
period  of  time.  It  is  fortunate  that  at  this  time,  when  so 
much  is  being  done  for  historical  investigation,  by  reason  of 
the  mind  being  directed  back  in  view  of  the  approaching  four 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  this  country,  we 
meet  for  the  purpose  of  gathering  together  what  there  is  in 
the  field  that  pertains  specifically  to  the  Jews  as  connected 
with  this  continent,  and  thus  contribute  to  the  general  history 
of  the  country." 

On  motion  of  Mr.  MAX  COHEN,  of  New  York,  Dr.  ABLER 
was  elected  Secretary  of  the  meeting,  and  in  response  to  a 
request  from  the  chair,  made  an  introductory  statement. 
Dr.  ABLER  said :  "Before  venturing  to  speak  of  the  scope  and 
object  of  the  work,  I  will  detain  you  for  a  moment  with  the 
history  of  the  movement  so  far  as  I  am  concerned.  As  far 


back  as  1886  (Nov.  12)  the  Jewish  Messenger,  of  New  York, 
stated  editorially  that  it  would  be  fitting  to  take  some 
steps  in  view  of  the  approaching  four-hundredth  anniversary 
of  the  discovery  of  this  continent,  to  prepare  a  history  of  the 
part  which  the  Jews  had  played  in  the  discovery,  settlement 
and  history  of  this  country.  On  July  6,  1888,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
B.  FELSENTHAL,  of  Chicago,  suggested  to  me  in  a  letter  that 
I  should  undertake  the  formation  of  a  Jewish  Historical 
Society,  whose  aim  it  should  be  to  collect  and  preserve  all 
the  material  concerning  the  history  of  the  Jews  and  of  Judaism 
in  America.  He  added  that  in  the  archives  at  Washington, 
in  the  capitals  of  the  older  colonies,  in  the  records  of  congre 
gations,  and  elsewhere,  interesting  documents  might  be  found, 
and,  if  not  in  extenso,  at  least  a  digest  of  them  should  be  pub 
lished  and  thus  the  material  be  gathered  from  which  a 
future  historian  might  write  the  history  of  American  Israel. 
At  very  nearly  the  same  time  Mr.  MAX  COHEN,  as  librarian 
of  the  Maimonides  Library,  undertook  to  set  npart  a  series 
of  shelves  for  the  purpose  of  making  collections  that  bore  on 
the  history  of  the  Jews  of  this  country.  By  reason  of  these 
steps,  but  more  especially  on  account  of  the  letter  of  Dr. 
FELSENTHAL,  I  was  inspired  to  take  up  this  matter.  The 
original  circular  was  sent  to  150  persons  and  elicited  114 
replies."  The  Secretary  then  read  the  following  communi 
cation  : 

The  Congregation  Shearith  Israel 

in  the  City  of  New  York, 
Fifth  Avenue  and  Nineteenth  St.  NEW  YORK,  May  5,  1892. 

To  DR.  CYRUS  ABLER, 

Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore,  Md. 

My  Dear  Sir:  —  The  Board  of  Trustees  of  this  Congregation  have 
learned  with  profound  satisfaction  of  the  movement  now  going 
forward  looking  to  the  organization  of  an  American  Jewish  His 
torical  Society,  and  by  reason  of  this  congregation  being  the  most 
ancient  in  the  United  States  they  feel  called  upon  to  bid  me  convey 
to  you  as  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  same  their  assurance  of  their 
complete  sympathy  with  the  undertaking,  and  their  desire  to  render 
to  the  Society,  when  formed,  all  the  assistance  in  their  power. 


I  need  scarcely  add  how  glad  I  am  to  comply  with  their  instruc 
tions,  and  hasten  to  place  myself  at  your  service  agreeably  thereto. 
I  have  the  honor  to  remain, 

Very  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 
[Signed]  N.  TAYLOR  PHILLIPS,  Clerk. 

A  letter  was  also  read  from  Mr.  JUSTIN  WINSOR,  the 
Librarian  of  Harvard  College,  stating  that  if  the  Society 
would  give  an  adequate  return  in  publications  for  the  assess 
ment  fee,  Harvard  College  Library  would  become  a  sub 
scribing  member.  In  conclusion  it  was  suggested  that  two 
committees  be  appointed,  one  on  organization,  to  include 
constitution  and  permanent  officers,  and  the  other  on  plan 
and  scope. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  ISIDORE  SCHWAB,  of  Philadel 
phia,  the  persons  present  were  requested  to  register  their 
names,  and  the  following  were  recorded  as  being  present : 
Dr.  Cyrus  Adler,  George  A.  Kohut, 

Charles  S.  Bernheimer,  Rev.  M.  Kopfstein, 

Hon.  Joseph  Blumenthal,        Dr.  Henry  M.  Leipziger, 


Max  Cohen, 
Philip  Cowen, 
Rev.  Dr.  B.  Drachm  an, 
M.  Ellinger, 
Herbert  Friedenwald, 
Samuel  Greenbaum, 
Dr.  Charles  Gross, 
Rev.  Dr.  M.  H.  Harris, 
Daniel  P.  Hays, 
Prof.  A.  S.  Isaacs, 
Hon.  Myer  S.  Isaacs, 
Rev.  Dr.  M.  Jastrow,  Sr., 
Prof.  M.  Jastrow,  Jr., 
Rev.  Dr.  L.  Kleeberg, 
Rev.  Dr.  K.  Kohler, 
Max  J.  Kohler, 
Rev.  Dr.  A.  Kohut, 


Eugene  H.  Levy, 
Julius  J.  Levy, 
Benno  Loewy, 
Mrs.  M.  D.  Louis, 
Henry  S.  Morais, 
Rev.  Dr.  S.  Morais, 
Frederick  Nathan, 
N.  Taylor  Phillips, 
M.  Warley  Platzek, 
Wm.  W.  Platzek, 
Louis  Schnabel, 
Isidore  Schwab, 
Hon.  A.  S.  Solomons, 
Hon.  Oscar  S.  Straus, 
Cyrus  L.  Sulzberger, 
David  Sulzberger, 
Benj.  Tuska, 


Henry  G.  Weil. 


Views  as  to  the  aim  and  scope  of  the  Society  being  called 
for  by  the  Chair,  the  Rev.  Dr.  K.  KOHLER,  of  New  York, 
suggested  that  the  Society  should  be  broad  in  its  member 
ship  and  should  include  persons  living  on  the  entire  western 
hemisphere;  connections  with  South  America  must  at  once 
be  sought ;  the  conditions  precedent  to  immigration  to  this 
country  must  be  studied  in  Spain,  Portugal  and  Holland ; 
the  help  of  those  already  interested  in  the  subject,  as,  for 
example,  Judge  C.  P.  DALY,  of  New  York,  and  Dr.  M. 
KAYSERLING,  of  Buda-Pesth,  should  be  secured ;  that  con 
nections  should  be  had  with  the  various  lodges,  congrega 
tions,  and  the  various  Territories  and  States,  so  that  as  many 
workers  should  be  enlisted  as  possible  in  this  movement, 
which,  if  successful,  can  only  arouse  self-respect  in  the  Jew 
himself  and  raise  him  in  the  eyes  of  his  fellow-citizens. 

Rev.  Dr.  S.  MORAIS,  of  Philadelphia,  thought  that  the 
Society  would  have  more  chance  of  success  if  it  limited  itself 
to  the  specific  object  of  the  study  of  the  history  of  the  Jewish 
congregations  of  the  United  States  and  the  societies  that 
sprang  therefrom. 

Dr.  CHARLES  GROSS,  of  Harvard  College,  thought  that  for 
the  present  a  middle  ground  should  be  occupied.  He  said : 
"  There  is  no  reason  why  we  should  not  devote  ourselves  mainly 
to  the  history  of  the  Jews  in  the  United  States,  consider  that 
to  be  the  central  point  of  our  work,  and  yet  not  exclude  the 
history  of  the  Jews  in  South  America  or  even  in  Europe. 
That  is  the  policy  pursued  by  the  American  Historical 
Association.  Nine-tenths  of  their  energy  is  devoted  to  the 
history  of  the  United  States,  but  the  Association  does  not 
exclude  an  occasional  paper  relating  to  the  history  of  the 
nations  of  Europe.  I  believe  that  our  attention  should  be 
mainly  concentrated,  at  any  rate  at  first,  upon  the  history  of 
the  Jews  of  the  United  States.  Perhaps  later  on  we  shall 
see  our  way  to  devote  much  attention  to  the  Jews  in  South 
America,  and  some  attention  to  the  Jews  in  Europe.  A  great 
deal  has  been  said  about  the  scope  of  our  work,  the  history  of 


8 

congregations,    societies,   etc.      I  waited  in  vain  to  hear  a 
feature  of  history  emphasized  which  for  me  is  of  transcendent 
importance,  though  I  am  greatly  interested  in  the  parts  of 
history  already  alluded  to.     The  matter  I  have  in  mind  has 
already  been  briefly  referred  to  by  our  chairman.     He  ex 
pressed  the  hope  that  what  we  should  accomplish  would  form 
a  part  of  the  history  of  the  United  States.    For  me,  the  point 
that  is  of  the  greatest  importance  is  the  relation  of  the  Jews 
to  the  national  government.     If  we  can  show  clearly  to  the 
people  of  the  United  States  what  the  Jews  of  this  country  have 
done,  what  they  have  contributed  as  citizens  of  the  Republic, 
we  shall  accomplish  a  great  work.    We  shall  add  not  merely 
to  the  history  of  the  United  States,  we  shall  add  greatly  to  the 
welfare  of  the  Jews  in  America.     The  object  of  this  Society 
should  be  to  reveal  the  past  of  the  Jews  of  this  country,  the 
past  in  all  directions,  but  particular  attention  should  be  paid 
to  what  the  Jews  have  accomplished  as  citizens  of  the  United 
States.     It   will   certainly  be   made  evident  that  the  Jews 
of  this  Republic  have  been  ready  to  offer  up  life  and  fortune 
for  their  country,  that  they  have  been  patriots  in  time  of  war 
and  philanthropists  in  time  of  peace,  that  they  will  be  patriots 
and  philanthropists  in  the  future  as  they  have  been  in  the 
past  and  as  they  are  in  the  present.      If  we  can  once  make 
that  plain  through  the  researches  of  the  Society,  it  seems  to 
me   we  shall   accomplish  a  great   deal.     I  will  not  speak 
to  any  great  extent  about  particular  methods  of  work.     We 
had  better  proceed  slowly,  and  not  formulate  any  hard  and 
fast  rules  at  the  outset.     Experience  will  soon  teach  us  how 
we  should  proceed.    Of  course  there  are  two  general  methods 
that  can  be  adopted  in  societies  of  this  kind.    One  is  to  pub 
lish  what  the  Germans  call  Regesten,  indicating  briefly  the 
materials  discovered  and  the  contents  of  documents.     The 
other  is  to  print  documents  in  full.     But  it  is  possible  to 
follow  both  methods,  to  publish  Regesten,  and  now  and  then 
to  publish  in  full  a  set  of  important  documents.     I  doubt 
whether  it  would  be  expedient  at  the  present  time  to  formu- 


9 

late  any  scheme  regarding  the  printing  of  material.  I  think 
at  the  outset  we  should  merely  publish  papers  of  interest  until 
we  get  better  acquainted  with  the  material,  and  then  we  can 
adopt  some  larger  scheme  of  publication." 

Mr.  MAX  COHEN  moved  that  a  committee  of  five  on 
Organization  and  a  committee  of  five  on  Plan  and  Scope  be 
appointed ;  this  motion  was  seconded  by  DANIEL  P.  HAYS, 
Esq.,  of  New  York,  and,  being  placed  by  the  Chairman,  was 
adopted.  The  Chair  appointed  as  the  Committee  on  Organ 
ization,  Dr.  CYEUS  ABLER,  D.  P.  HAYS,  Rev.  Dr.  S. 
MORAIS,  M.  WARLEY  PLATZEK,  of  New  York,  and  DAVID 
SULZBERGER,  of  Philadelphia ;  and  on  the  Committee  on 
Plan  and  Scope,  Dr.  CHARLES  GROSS,  M.  ELLINGER,  of 
New  York,  Dr.  A.  S.  ISAACS,  of  New  York,  Rev.  Dr.  M. 
JASTROW,  Sr.,  of  Philadelphia,  and  Rev.  Dr.  K.  KOHLER, 
of  New  York. 

Mr.  ELLINGER  suggested  that  the  only  limit  to  the  labors 
of  the  Society  should  be  to  the  history  of  the  Jews  having 
connection  with  the  colonization  or  the  prosperity  and  civil 
ization  of  America ;  he  hoped  that  at  some  future  time  a 
library  might  be  established  which  should  contain  all  the 
material  that  could  be  collected ;  he  suggested  that  the 
Society  should  meet  twice  a  year.  Mr.  ELLINGER  also  called 
attention  to  the  fact  that  there  have  recently  appeared  in 
Madrid  three  volumes  by  Spanish  scholars  in  which  the  par 
ticipation  of  the  Jews  in  the  discovery  of  America  is  noted. 

Prof.  JASTROW  thought  that  it  was  of  more  importance  for 
the  present  to  collect  material  than  to  prepare  papers ;  these 
materials  are  stored  up  in  newspapers  and  in  archives  in 
various  portions  of  the  country,  and  we  need  twenty  or  thirty 
persons  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States  who  will  take 
sufficient  interest  to  collect  them  and  bring  them  together. 
"  We  also  need/7  he  said,  "  to  prevent  for  the  future  what  has 
taken  place  in  the  past — the  utter  disregarding  of  important 
events.  We  need  a  large  number  of  persons  who  will  take 
record  of  these  events.  Of  course  it  must  remain  in  the 


10 

judgment  of  these  persons  to  know  what  are  important  events. 
I  would  suggest  that  local  historiographers  be  appointed  who 
will  make  it  their  business  to  see  that  in  the  territory  assigned 
to  them  every  important  event  shall  be  noted  down  and  sent 
to  the  Secretary.  It  has  been  suggested  by  Dr.  S.  SoLis-CoHEN 
that  this  information  should  be  written  on  paper  of  a  uniform 
size  so  that  it  might  be  bound  together  in  a  convenient  shape. 
The  Secretary  could  then  readily  prepare  a  report  on  the  his 
tory  of  the  Jews  during  each  year  which  would  form  a  most 
important  and  valuable  contribution  to  the  historian's  stock 
of  materials.  The  Society  should  first  turn  in  the  direction 
of  the  search  for  materials.  There  is  a  great  deal  more  in  all% 
probability  than  we  have  any  idea  of.  It  would  be  a  worthy 
way  to  celebrate  the  four-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  dis 
covery  of  this  continent,  if  by  the  summer  of  next  year  we 
should  have  from  twenty  or  twenty-five  States  a  collection  of 
material  bearing  on  the  history  of  the  Jews  of  this  country 
from  its  settlement  down  to  the  present  time." 

Rev.  Dr.  B.  DRACHMAE,  of  New  York,  objected  to  limit 
ing  the  scope  of  the  Society  to  America  and  thought  it  should 
be  universal. 

Dr.  HENRY  M.  LEIPZIGER,  Assistant  Superintendent  of 
Public  Schools  of  New  York,  differed  from  the  preceding 
speaker.  He  said :  "  We  will  have  enough  to  do  for  the  next 
thirty  or  forty  years  to  gather  information  about  the  Jews  in 
America  alone.  I  wish  to  emphasize  the  apt  words  of  Dr. 
GROSS,  of  the  influence  that  the  knowledge  derived  from 
archives  will  have  upon  the  people  of  this  country.  I 
remember  reading  with  great  pleasure  the  work  of  the  pre 
siding  officer  of  this  meeting  on  the  influence  of  the  Jews  upon 
the  institutions  of  the  land." 

Dr.  KOHLER  called  attention  to  the  work  done  by  Mr. 
MARKENS  in  the  field  of  American  Jewish  History. 

Mr.  B.  LOEWY,  of  New  York,  referred  to  the  work  of  Mr. 
HENRY  S.  MORAIS  on  the  Jews  of  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  EUGENE  LEVY,  of  New  York,  referred  to  the  collec- 


11 

tion  of  material  on  the  Jewish  Soldiers  in  the  Wars  of  the 
United  States,  undertaken  by  Mr.  SIMON  WOLF. 

Dr.  ABLER  referred  to  a  suggestion  that  had  been  made 
by  Prof.  JOHN  B.  McMASTER,  of  the  University  of  Penn 
sylvania,  to  the  effect  that  a  portion  of  the  income  of  the 
Society  be  set  apart  for  the  actual  prosecution  of  research, 
that  is  to  say,  a  sum  of  money  should  be  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Society  to  pay  the  expenses  of  trained  historical  students  who 
will  undertake  special  investigations.  Dr.  ADLER  also  called 
attention  to  a  statement  in  an  unpublished  letter  of  JARED 
SPARKS,  that  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolutionary  War  a 
Mr.  GOMEZ,  of  New  York,  proposed  to  a  member  of  the 
Continental  Congress  that  he  form  a  company  of  soldiers  for 
service.  The  member  of  Congress  remonstrated  with  Mr. 
GOMEZ  on  the  score  of  age,  he  then  being  68,  to  which 
Mr.  GOMEZ  replied  that  he  could  stop  a  bullet  as  well  as  a 
younger  man.  Dr.  ABLER  hoped  that  this  incident  would 
be  investigated  by  members  of  the  GOMEZ  family.  After 
remarks  by  Mr.  HENRY  S.  MORAIS  a  recess  was  taken. 

The  meeting  reassembled  at  8.30  P.  M.,  and  the  Chair 
reviewed  the  action  of  the  afternoon  session  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  had  not  been  present. 

Dr.  ABLER,  on  behalf  of  the  Committee  on  Organization, 
presented  a  draft  of  the  Constitution.  After  being  read  as  a 
whole,  a  motion  was  offered  and  adopted  that  the  Constitu 
tion  be  acted  upon  section  by  section.  The  Constitution  as 
finally  adopted  is  appended  to  the  report. 

The  Chair  then  called  upon  Mr.  PLATZEK  to  report 
nominations. 

Mr.  PLATZEK  reported  as  follows :  President,  Hon. 
OSCAR  S.  STRAUS,  of  New  York;  Vice-Presidents,  Dr. 
CHARLES  GROSS,  Harvard  College ;  Prof.  JOHN  B. 
McMASTER,  University  of  Pennsylvania ;  Hon.  SIMON  W. 
ROSENBALE,  Albany ;  Corresponding  Secretary,  Dr.  CYRUS 
ABLER,  U.  S.  National  Museum ;  Recording  Secretary,  Mr. 
HERBERT  FRIEBENWALB,  Philadelphia ;  Treasurer,  Prof. 


12 

E.  R.  A.  SELIGMAN,*  Columbia  College.  Additional  mem 
bers  of  the  Council :  Mr.  MAX  COHEN,  Mr.  MENDES  COHEN, 
of  Baltimore,  Mr.  L.  N.  DEMBITZ,  of  Louisville,  Prof.  M. 
JASTROW,  Jr.,  Mr.  JULIUS  ROSENTHAL,  of  Chicago,  and 
Miss  HENRIETTA  SZOLD,  of  Baltimore. 

Mr.  LOEWY  moved  that  the  number  of  additional  members 
of  the  Council  be  increased  from  six  to  eight.  Carried. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  LOEWY  the  Secretary  was  instructed  to 
cast  a  ballot  for  the  candidates  for  those  offices  for  which 
but  one  nomination  had  been  made,  which  motion  was 
adopted  and  the  Secretary  cast  a  ballot  for  the  officers  named 
above. 

The  Chair  announced  that  election  for  members  of  the 
Council  would  now  proceed,  and  appointed  Mr.  PHILIP 
Co  WEN  and  Mr.  MAX  KOHLEK  as  tellers. 

While  the  tellers  were  counting  the  ballots  the  Chair  called 
for  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Aim  and  Scope.  Dr. 
GROSS,  chairman  of  the  Committee,  reported  that  the  Consti 
tution  had  been  submitted  to  the  Committee  and  had  met  with 
its  approval,  and  that  it  was  deemed  unwise  at  the  present 
time  to  formulate  any  specific  recommendations. 

Dr.  ABLER  suggested  that  it  would  be  appropriate  if  Dr. 
M.  KAYSERLING,  of  Buda  Pesth,  were  elected  the  first  honor 
ary  member  of  the  Society.  The  suggestion  was  approved  by 
Dr.  JASTROW,  Sr.  and  by  Dr.  KOHUT,  and  was  referred  to 
the  Council. 

Mr.  COWEN  reported  on  behalf  of  the  tellers  the  result  of 
the  election  for  members  of  the  Council.  Those  reported  by 
the  Committee  on  Nominations,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  B.  FELSEN- 
THAL,  of  Chicago,  and  Rev.  Dr.  M.  H.  HARRIS,  of  New 
York,  were  elected. 

On  motion  of  Prof.  JASTROW,  seconded  by  Dr.  JASTROW, 
Sr.,  a  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered  Dr.  ADLER  for  his  services 
in  bringing  the  Society  into  existence. 

*Prof.  Seligman  finding  himself  unable  to  serve,  Dr.  Adler  was 
appointed  Treasurer  temporarily  by  the  Council. 


13 

On  motion  of  Mr.  CYRUS  L.  SULZBERGER  a  vote  of  thanks 
was  tendered  the  Jewish  Theological  Seminary  for  the  use  of 
their  rooms. 

In  the  course  of  some  remarks  Mr.  STRAUS  referred  to  the 
fact  that  an  eminent  scholar  abroad  is  now  making  investi 
gations  regarding  the  discovery  of  this  country,  and  there  is 
no  doubt  from  the  reports  that  have  already  been  received  that 
considerable  light  will  be  thrown  upon  the  earliest  discoveries 
of  this  country  by  searching  the  Jewish  records  of  Spain  and 
Portugal. 

Dr.  ABLER  stated  that  the  American  Historical  Association 
would  be  pleased  to  have  a  delegate  from  the  newly  formed 
Society  at  its  meeting  in  Chicago  in  the  summer  of  1893.  He 
also  suggested  the  advisability  of  holding  a  meeting  in 
Chicago  during  the  Exposition. 


CONSTITUTION. 

NAME. 

I.  The  name  of  this  Society  shall  be  the  "American  Jewish 
Historical  Society." 

OBJECTS. 

II.  Its  object  shall  be   the   collection,   preservation  and 
publication  of  material  having  reference  to  the   settlement 
and  history  of  the  Jews  on  the  American  Continent. 

MEMBERS. 

III.  Any  person  approved  by  the  Executive  Council  may 
become  a  member  by  paying  five  dollars ;  and  after  the  first 
year  may  continue  a  member  by  paying  an  annual  fee  of  five 
dollars. 

On  payment  of  one  hundred  dollars,  any  person  may 
become  a  life  member  exempt  from  fees. 

Persons  may  be  elected  as  honorary  members,  and  be 
exempt  from  the  payment  of  fees ;  but  no  honorary  member 
shall  be  elected  except  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  Execu 
tive  Council. 

Persons  not  residing  in  the  United  States  may  be  elected 
as  corresponding  members,  and  be  exempt  from  the  payment 
of  fees. 

OFFICERS. 

IV.  The  officers  shall  be  a  President,  three  Vice-Presi 
dents,  a  Corresponding  Secretary,  a  Recording  Secretary,  a 
Treasurer,  and  an  Executive  Council  consisting  of  the  fore 
going   officers  and  of  eight  other  members  elected  by  the 
Association  with  the  ex-presidents  of  the  Association.    These 
officers  shall  be  elected  by  ballot  at  each  regular  annual  meet 
ing  of  the  Association. 


15 

COUNCIL. 

V.  The  Executive  Council  shall  have  charge  of  the  general 
interests  of  the  Association,  including  the  election  of  members, 
the  calling  of  meetings,  the  selection  of  papers  to  be  read, 
and  the  determination  of  what  papers  shall  be  published. 

AMENDMENTS. 

VI.  This  Constitution  may  be  amended  by  a  two-thirds 
vote  at  any  annual  meeting,  notice  of  such  amendment  having 
been  given  at  the  previous  annual  meeting,  or  the  proposed 
amendment  having  received  the  approval  of  the  Executive 
Council. 


HONORARY  MEMBERS. 

Dr.  M.  Kayserling,  Buda-Pesth. 

MEMBERS.* 

A 

Kev.  Dr.  I.  Aaron,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Lewis  Abraham,  Esq.,  1211  F  Street,  N.  W.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Prof.  H.  B.  Adams,  Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Dr.  Cyrus  Adler,  Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore,  Md. 
David  Werner  Amram,  915  N.  8th  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Clarence  K.  Arnold,  Philadelphia  Inquirer,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

B 

Rabbi  Henry  Berkowitz,  2306  Harrison  Street,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

C.  S.  Bernheimer,  1804  Franklin  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Isaac  W.  Bernheim,  Louisville,  Ky. 

Rabbi  H.  M.  Bien,  Vicksburg,  Miss. 

Hon.  Joseph  Blumenthal,  151  E.  73d  Street,  New  York. 

Hon.  Isidor  Bush,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

C 

Rev.  Dr.  Edward  N.  Calisch,  922  W.  Grace  Street,  Richmond,  Va. 
A.  Howard  Clark,  U.  S.  National  Museum,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Charles  J.  Cohen,  617  Market  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

D.  Solis  Cohen,  Portland,  Or. 

Emanuel  Cohen,  313  Nicollet  Avenue,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Rev.  Henry  Cohen,  Galveston,  Texas. 

Max  Cohen,  18  E.  91st  Street,  New  York. 

Mendes  Cohen,  825  N.  Charles  Street,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Myer  Cohen,  926  F  Street,  N.  W.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Dr.  S.  Solis  Cohen,  219  S.  17th  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Philip  Cowen,  498  Third  Avenue,  New  York. 

D 

Simon  Dalsheimer,  S.  E.  corner  Eutaw  and  Baltimore  Sts.,  Balti 
more,  Md. 

Lewis  N.  Dembitz,  Louisville,  Ky. 
Rev.  Dr.  B.  Drachman,  329  E.  51st  Street,  New  York. 
Moses  A.  Dropsie,  1316  N.  Broad  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

*  Corrections  to  the  above  list  should  be  sent  to  the  Corresponding  Secretary. 
Nominations  for  membership  should  be  addressed  to  the  Secretary  or  to  any 
member  of  the  Council. 


17 

E 

M.  Ellinger,  Office  of  the  Surrogate,  N.  Y.  County  Court  House, 

New  York. 

Justus  Epstein,  Heading,  Pa. 
H.  C.  Ezekiel,  171  Kichmond  Street,  Cincinnati,  O. 


Rev.  Dr.  R.  Farber,  Macon,  Ga. 

Rev.  Dr.  B.  Felsenthal,  450  W.  Randolph  Street,  Chicago,  111. 

Moyer  Fleisher,  2223  Green  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Dr.  Lee  K.  Frankel,  1315  Marshall  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Dr.  Aaron  Friedenwald,  310  N.  Eutaw  Street,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Herbert  Friedenwald,  915  N.  16th  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

G 

Prof.  R.  J.  H.  Gottheil,  Columbia  College,  N.  Y. 

Samuel  Greenbaum,  170  Broadway,  New  York. 

Rabbi  Moses  J.  Gries,  Chattanooga,  Tenn. 

Dr.  Chas.  Gross,  37  Langdon  Street,  Cambridge,  Mass. 

Rev.  Dr.  L.  Grossman,  Detroit,  Mich. 

Rev.  Dr.  Rudolph  Grossman,  124  E.  92d  Street,  New  York. 

Rev.  Dr.  A.  Guttmacher,  1804  Bolton  Street,  Baltimore,  Md. 

H 

Aaron  Haas,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Wm.  B.  Hackenberg,  25  N.  3d  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Rev.  Dr.  Maurice  H.  Harris,  10  E.  130th  Street,  New  York. 
Daniel  P.  Hays,  9  W.  121st  Street,  New  York. 
David  Hays,  Rochester,  New  York. 
Rev.  S.  Hecht,  D.  D.,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 
Eli  Heller,  Altamont  Hotel,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Rev.  Max  Heller,  242  Jackson  Street,  New  Orleans,  La. 
Rev.  Joseph  Herz,  Columbus,  Miss. 
Charles  Hoffman,  729  Walnut  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
J.  H.  Hollander,  Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore,  Md. 
David  Hutzler,  1628  Eutaw  Place,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Samuel  M.  Hyneman,  717  Drexel  Building,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


Rev.  Dr.  Henry  Iliowizi,  1845  N.  18th  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Prof.  A.  S.  Isaacs,  2  W.  14th  Street,  New  York. 
Hon.  Myer  S.  Isaacs,  110  E.  73d  St.,  New  York. 


18 


Miss  Corinne  Jackson,  1529  John  Street,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Eev.  Dr.  M.  Jastrow,  925  N.  8th  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Prof.  M.  Jastrow,  Jr.,  University  of  Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


Kev.  Dr.  L.  Kleeberg,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

Eev.  Dr.  K.  Kohler,  115  E.  71st  Street,  New  York. 

Max  J.  Kohler,  115  E.  71st  Street,  New  York. 

Kev.  Dr.  A.  Kohut,  39  Beekman  Place,  New  York. 

George  A.  Kohut,  39  Beekman  Place,  New  York. 

Kev.  M.  Kopfstein,  Elmira,  N.  Y. 

Rev.  Dr.  Jos.  Krauskopf,  1537  Diamond  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Manuel  A.  Kursheedt,  35  Warren  Street,  New  York. 


Eev.  Dr.  Max  Landsberg,  Eochester,  N.  Y. 

Ephraim  Lederer,  138  S.  6th  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Dr.  Henry  M.  Leipziger,  324  E.  50th  Street,  New  York. 

Eev.  D.  S.  Leucht,  New  Orleans,  La. 

Leo  N.  Levi,  Galveston,  Texas. 

Eugene  H.  Levy,  Press  Club,  New  York. 

Julius  Levy,  333  E.  82d  Street,  New  York. 

Isidor  Lewinthal,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

Benno  Loewy,  174  E.  75th  Street,  New  York. 

Mrs.  M.  D.  Louis,  66  W.  56th  Street,  New  York. 

M 

Prof.  J.  B.  McMaster,  University  of  Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Louis  Marshall,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Eev.  L.  Mayer,  18  Liberty  Street,  Alleghany,  Pa. 

Eev.  Dr.  F.  de  Sola  Mendes,  163  W.  73d  Street,  New  York. 

Eev.  Dr.  H.  Pereira  Mendes,  6  W.  9th  Street,  New  York. 

Eev.  H.  J.  Messing,  2626  Chestnut  Street,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Simon  Miller,  926  Market  Street,  Philadelphia. 

Henry  S.  Morais,  546  N.  5th  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Eev.  Dr.  S.  Morais,  546  N.  5th  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Lucien  Moss,  1631  Chestnut  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

N 
F.  Nathan,  717  Park  Avenue,  New  York. 


19 


Kev.  Dr.  David  Philipson,  Cincinnati,  0. 
N.  Taylor  Phillips,  120  Broadway,  New  York. 
M.  Warley  Platzek,  320  Broadway,  New  York. 
Wm.  W.  Platzek,  11  Lispenard  Street,  New  York. 

K 

Wm.  S.  Eayner,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Hon.  S.  W.  Eosendale,  Office  of  the  Attorney-General,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Julius  Eosenthal,  First  National  Bank  Building,  Chicago,  111. 


Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Sale,  1812  Hickory  Street,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Rev.  M.  Samfield,  Memphis,  Tenn. 

Bunford  Samuel,  Philadelphia  Library,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Rev.  Dr.  Tobias  Schanfarber,  2013  Madison  Avenue,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Col.  J.  Thomas  Scharf,  1008  N.  Charles  Street,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Hon.  Jacob  H.  Schiff,  30  Nassau  Street,  New  York. 

Rev.  M.  Schlesinger,  336  Hudson  Avenue,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Louis  Schnabel,  62  E.  108th  Street,  New  York. 

Isidor  Schwab,  Room  23,  Brown  Building,  N.  E.  corner  5th  and 

Chestnut  Streets,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Prof.  Edwin  R.  A.  Seligman,  Columbia  College,  New  York. 
David  Sharps,  Newburgh,  N.  Y.     (242  W.  42d  Street,  New  York.) 
Julius  Silversmith,  N.  E.  corner  Lake  and  La  Salle  Streets,  Marine 

Building,  Chicago,  111. 

Jacob  Singer,  435  Chestnut  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Miss  Elvira  N.  Solis,  1704  Master  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Hon.  Adolphus  S.  Solomons,  45  Broadway,  Room  89,  New  York. 
Rev.  M.  Spitz,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Rev.  L.  Stern,  909  0  Street,  N.  W.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Simon  A.  Stern,  135  S.  4th  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Stolz,  412  Warren  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 
Hiram  Straus,  237  St.  Clair  Street,  Cleveland,  O. 
*Hon.  Oscar  S.  Straus,  42  Warren  Street,  New  York. 
S.  J.  Strauss,  Wilkesbarre,  Pa. 

Cyrus  L.  Sulzberger,  22  W.  120th  Street,  New  York. 
David  Sulzberger,  1220  N.  12th  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Mayer  Sulzberger,  1303  Girard  Avenue,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Miss  Henrietta  Szold,  702  W.  Lombard  Street,  Baltimore,  Md. 

T 

Oscar  B.  Teller,  903  N.  8th  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Benjamin  Tuska,  627  Lexington  Avenue,  New  York. 

*  Life  member. 


20 

W 

Moses  B-.  Walter,  5  E.  Lexington  Street,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Henry  G.  Weil,  530  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York. 

Bernard  Wiesenfeld,  104  E.  Lexington  Street,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Justin  Winsor  (for  Harvard  College  Library). 

Dr.  Aaron  Wise,  119  E.  65th  Street,  New  York. 

Leo  Wise,  American  Israelite,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Stephen  S.  Wise,  119  E.  65th  Street,  New  York. 

Benj.  Wolf,  1506  Girard  Avenue,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Hon.  Simon  Wolf,  926  F  Street,  N.  W.,  Washington,  D.  C.          (135) 


Photomount 
Pamphlet 

Binder 
Gay  lord  Bros.  Inc. 

Makers 

Stockton,  Calif. 
PAT.  JAN.  21,  1908 


VD   12272 


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